Secretary of State John Kerry, during a visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, addressed the increasingly pressing issue of climate change.

He could have just as easily, given the relevance and importance of his remarks, been speaking to Americans. China and the United States accounted for 40 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere that last year made the level of carbon dioxide the highest in recorded history. Indonesia is third among the world's carbon pollution producers. Its emissions come from deforestation and agriculture.

Kerry walked his audience through the familiar sequence of events. Temperatures increase, glaciers and other ice formations melt, sea levels rise and, if the phenomenon continues uninterrupted, by the end of this century half of Jakarta will be under water.

The science of climate change, he said, is "absolutely certain" and is accepted by 97 percent of scientists.

Kerry addressed what he considers an urgent global issue. He ranked it alongside epidemics, poverty, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

"It's everyone's responsibility," he said, and "lack of political resolve" is the problem. History and future generations will not forgive lack of action.